An estimated 57 million people across the U.S. and Canada played fantasy sports in the past 12 months, per the Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association (FSGA, Angus Reid Group Survey 2025). Counting sports betting alongside it, the combined audience reaches 84 million, up from 81 million in 2024. ESPN alone reported 14 million players in its 2025 fantasy football game, a record for the fourth consecutive year, while global platforms drew roughly 245 million users. Market-size estimates for 2026 span 28 billion to 42 billion dollars depending on methodology. This analysis consolidates data from the FSGA, Grand View Research, Sensor Tower, and 12 other primary sources to separate fantasy leagues and daily fantasy sports (DFS) from the wagering side of the industry.
TL;DR
- 57 million people played fantasy sports in the U.S. and Canada in the past year, including 53 million Americans (FSGA, Angus Reid Group Survey 2025).
- 84 million adults played fantasy sports or bet on sports combined, up from 81 million in 2024 (FSGA, 2025).
- ESPN Fantasy Football reached 14 million players in 2025, an all-time record four years running (ESPN Press Room, 2025).
- The global fantasy sports market was valued between 27.8 and 38.5 billion dollars for 2025 depending on the firm (Grand View Research; Precedence Research, 2025).
- ESPN holds 48 percent of U.S. fantasy football monthly active users, ahead of Sleeper at 33 percent (Sensor Tower, August 2025).
- Fantasy football monthly active users rose 40 percent between August 2023 and August 2025 (Sensor Tower, 2025).
- 87 percent of fantasy NFL players are male; 58 percent of players are aged 25 to 44 (YouGov, 2025).
- Next-gen players aged 13 to 20 start at an average age of 14 and spend a median of 100 dollars a year (FSGA, Angus Reid Group, 2025).
- PrizePicks reported 704 million dollars in net revenue for 2024, up from 421 million in 2023 (Allwyn acquisition filings, 2025).
- Dream11 topped 300 million registered users before India’s August 2025 gaming ban halted its paid contests (Dream11; Wikipedia, 2025).
- Fantasy sports bettors reported a 24 percent problem-gambling rate, above the 17 percent for sports bettors (NCPG, NGAGE 3.0, 2024).
1. Participation: how many people play
Fantasy sports remains a mass-market activity, but its growth has cooled from the double-digit surges of the legalization era into low single digits. The FSGA’s headline figure of 57 million fantasy players across the U.S. and Canada sits inside a broader 84 million who play fantasy or bet on sports, and nearly half of U.S. players now do both. The clearest signal of maturity is at the top platform: ESPN’s 14 million fantasy football players set a record, yet the year-over-year gain was the smallest in years.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy players, U.S. and Canada (past 12 months) | 57 million | FSGA / Angus Reid Group, 2025 |
| U.S. fantasy players | 53 million | FSGA / Angus Reid Group, 2025 |
| Canadian fantasy players | 4.2 million | FSGA / Angus Reid Group, 2025 |
| Fantasy + sports betting audience (combined) | 84 million (up from 81M in 2024) | FSGA / Angus Reid Group, 2025 |
| U.S. adults 21+ who played fantasy in past year | 15% | YouGov, 2025 |
| ESPN Fantasy Football players, 2025 | 14 million (record) | ESPN Press Room, 2025 |
| ESPN players across all fantasy games (annual) | 20 million+ | ESPN Press Room, 2025 |
| Fantasy sports users, worldwide | ~245 million | Precedence Research, 2025 |
Context note: nearly 50 percent of U.S. participants play both fantasy sports and bet on sports, which makes clean audience separation difficult and inflates some “fantasy” headcounts that fold in bettors (FSGA, 2025).
2. Market size and growth forecasts
Market sizing is the noisiest number in fantasy sports because firms disagree on what to count: some measure net platform revenue, others count entry-fee turnover or bundle DFS with adjacent betting. That spread explains why 2025 estimates run from Grand View Research’s 27.8 billion dollars to Precedence Research’s 38.5 billion, a gap of more than 10 billion. What the firms agree on is direction: mid-teens compound growth, with scope definitions causing most of the year-to-year disagreement between firms.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Global market size, 2025 | 27.8 billion USD | Grand View Research, 2025 |
| Global market size, 2025 (alt. estimate) | 38.5 billion USD | Precedence Research, 2025 |
| Global market size, 2026 | 42.4 billion USD | Mordor Intelligence, 2026 |
| Global forecast, 2030 | 56.4 billion USD | Grand View Research, 2025 |
| Global forecast, 2035 (13.6% CAGR) | 137.8 billion USD | Precedence Research, 2025 |
| U.S. market size, 2024 (32.1% of global) | 7.97 billion USD | Grand View Research, 2024 |
| U.S. forecast, 2030 (13.1% CAGR) | 16.2 billion USD | Grand View Research, 2025 |
| North America market, 2025 to 2026 | 13.1 billion USD to 14.8 billion USD | Mordor Intelligence, 2026 |
Divergence note: Grand View and Precedence differ by roughly 40 percent for the same year because Precedence counts a wider DFS and platform-revenue base; both project a compound annual growth rate near 13 to 14 percent (Grand View Research; Precedence Research; Mordor Intelligence, 2025 to 2026).
3. Platforms and competitive share
The competitive picture splits in two. Traditional season-long fantasy is an incumbent game led by ESPN, Sleeper, and Yahoo, while pick’em-style DFS is where the fastest revenue growth and the venture money sit. ESPN commands 48 percent of U.S. fantasy football monthly active users, but the momentum belongs to newer apps: Sensor Tower recorded PrizePicks growing monthly active users 82 percent year over year through August 2025. DraftKings and FanDuel now operate primarily as sportsbooks with DFS attached, so their headline revenue belongs to the betting analysis, not this one.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ESPN share of U.S. fantasy football MAUs | 48% | Sensor Tower, August 2025 |
| Sleeper share of fantasy football MAUs | 33% | Sensor Tower, August 2025 |
| Yahoo Fantasy share of fantasy football MAUs | 18% | Sensor Tower, August 2025 |
| Sleeper total downloads / users | 7.5 million+ / 4 million+ | Similarweb / Sleeper, 2025 |
| PrizePicks net revenue, 2024 (vs 421M in 2023) | 704 million USD | Allwyn acquisition filings, 2025 |
| PrizePicks MAU growth, YoY through Aug 2025 | +82% | Sensor Tower, 2025 |
| Underdog Fantasy valuation (Series C, Mar 2025) | 1.23 billion USD | Sacra / CB Insights, 2025 |
| Dream11 registered users (India) | 300 million+ | Dream11 / Wikipedia, 2025 |
Outlier note: Allwyn completed its purchase of a 62.3 percent stake in PrizePicks for roughly 1.5 billion dollars in January 2026, the largest DFS-specific transaction to date (Allwyn acquisition filings, 2025 to 2026).
4. Who plays: demographics
Fantasy sports has one of the most lopsided gender profiles in consumer entertainment, and it has barely moved. 21 percent of American men played fantasy in the past year versus just 8 percent of women, and the skew is even sharper in the flagship NFL game. Players over-index on income and education, which is part of why advertisers value the audience despite its size relative to broader Gen Z media consumption. The figures below draw on YouGov’s US fantasy survey and FSGA demographic research.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Men who played fantasy in past year | 21% | YouGov, 2025 |
| Women who played fantasy in past year | 8% | YouGov, 2025 |
| Fantasy NFL players who are male | 87% | YouGov, 2025 |
| Players aged 25 to 44 | 58% | YouGov, 2025 |
| Asian-American / Black / Hispanic / white participation | 30% / 18% / 17% / 12% | YouGov, 2025 |
| Fantasy players with a college degree or higher | 84% | FSGA, 2023 |
| Fantasy players earning over 50,000 USD | ~63% | FSGA, 2023 |
Context note: households earning above 80,000 dollars are roughly 30 percent more likely to play than the general population; the education and income figures are the most recent available FSGA demographic breakdown (FSGA, 2023).
5. Engagement and app usage
Engagement, not raw headcount, is where fantasy sports is growing fastest, and it now runs year-round rather than peaking only during the NFL season. Fantasy football monthly active users climbed 40 percent between August 2023 and August 2025, while in-app purchase revenue jumped 106 percent against the prior season. That inverts the trend on the betting side of the same apps, where installs and revenue fell sharply, and it explains why fantasy apps behave more like the sticky mobile apps tracked across other categories. Figures below are from Sensor Tower’s 2025 NFL app analysis.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy football MAU growth, Aug 2023 to Aug 2025 | +40% | Sensor Tower, 2025 |
| In-app purchase revenue growth vs prior season | +106% | Sensor Tower, 2025 |
| Daily time spent, FanDuel and Sleeper apps (each) | 14 minutes | Sensor Tower / FSGA, 2025 |
| ESPN Fantasy social engagements, Jul to Aug signup | 3 million (+37% YoY) | ESPN Press Room, 2025 |
| ESPN Fantasy App busiest day ever | NFL Week 1 Sunday, Sept 7, 2025 | ESPN Press Room, 2025 |
| Sports betting app installs, YoY (for contrast) | -39% (revenue -62%) | Sensor Tower, 2025 |
Contrast note: as fantasy engagement rose, sports-betting app installs fell 39 percent and revenue fell 62 percent year over year, a divergence Sensor Tower attributes to market saturation and promotional pullback on the wagering side (Sensor Tower, 2025).
6. The next generation of players
The industry’s long-term bet is on teenagers, and FSGA’s next-generation research is the clearest window into it. Players aged 13 to 20 are already more engaged day to day than many adults: 66 percent update their lineups daily and 64 percent pay league entry fees, with a median annual spend of 100 dollars. The starker finding for regulators is intent, most plan to move into paid contests and betting as soon as they are legally eligible. Data below is from the FSGA and Angus Reid Group next-generation study.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average starting age, season-long players (13 to 20) | 14 years old | FSGA / Angus Reid Group, 2025 |
| Next-gen players who update lineups daily | 66% | FSGA / Angus Reid Group, 2025 |
| Next-gen players who pay league entry fees | 64% (median $100/yr) | FSGA / Angus Reid Group, 2025 |
| Expect to keep playing next year | 91% | FSGA / Angus Reid Group, 2025 |
| Plan to enter paid contests when eligible | 90% | FSGA / Angus Reid Group, 2025 |
| Intend to play daily fantasy sports | 73% | FSGA / Angus Reid Group, 2025 |
| Say they will bet on sports once legally eligible | 74% | FSGA / Angus Reid Group, 2025 |
| Believe DFS is an easy way to make money | 72% | FSGA / Angus Reid Group, 2025 |
Context note: NFL and NBA lead this cohort’s interest, but soccer, esports, and MMA show strong appeal, pointing fantasy’s next growth wave toward the same audiences driving competitive gaming (FSGA / Angus Reid Group, 2025).
7. Regulation and responsible play
Fantasy sports occupies a patchwork legal status that keeps shifting, especially for pick’em contests that resemble prop betting. FanDuel offered paid daily fantasy in 43 states as of December 2025, while pick’em formats face bans or restrictions in a growing list of states. The most dramatic regulatory event was overseas: India, the world’s largest fantasy market, effectively switched off paid play overnight in August 2025. On the harm side, the NCPG’s national survey flags fantasy sports bettors as an elevated-risk group.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. states with FanDuel paid DFS (Dec 31, 2025) | 43 | Flutter / FanDuel, 2025 |
| PrizePicks core pick’em availability | 30+ states and D.C. | Legal Sports Report, 2026 |
| Underdog Fantasy availability | 40 states, D.C. and Canada | Underdog / Lines.com, 2026 |
| Dream11 paid contests after India ban (Aug 21, 2025) | Paused (>90% of revenue) | Dream11 / Wikipedia, 2025 |
| Problem-gambling rate among fantasy sports bettors | 24% | NCPG, NGAGE 3.0, 2024 |
| Problem-gambling rate, ages 18 to 34 (vs 2% at 55+) | 15% | NCPG, NGAGE 3.0, 2024 |
| U.S. adults with problematic gambling, 2024 | ~20 million (down from 27.5M in 2021) | NCPG, NGAGE 3.0, 2024 |
Context note: the NCPG’s fantasy and betting risk rates come from NGAGE 3.0, a survey of over 3,000 U.S. adults conducted with Ipsos between January and March 2024; overall problem-gambling risk declined from its 2021 pandemic peak even as youth exposure remains a concern (NCPG, 2024).
Summary: Fantasy Sports by the Numbers
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy players, U.S. and Canada | 57 million | FSGA / Angus Reid Group, 2025 |
| Fantasy + betting audience (combined) | 84 million | FSGA / Angus Reid Group, 2025 |
| Fantasy sports users, worldwide | ~245 million | Precedence Research, 2025 |
| ESPN Fantasy Football players, 2025 | 14 million (record) | ESPN Press Room, 2025 |
| Global market size, 2025 | 27.8 to 38.5 billion USD | Grand View Research; Precedence Research, 2025 |
| Global market size, 2026 | 42.4 billion USD | Mordor Intelligence, 2026 |
| U.S. market size, 2024 | 7.97 billion USD | Grand View Research, 2024 |
| ESPN share of fantasy football MAUs | 48% | Sensor Tower, August 2025 |
| Sleeper / Yahoo share of MAUs | 33% / 18% | Sensor Tower, August 2025 |
| Fantasy football MAU growth, 2023 to 2025 | +40% | Sensor Tower, 2025 |
| In-app purchase revenue growth vs prior season | +106% | Sensor Tower, 2025 |
| PrizePicks net revenue, 2024 | 704 million USD | Allwyn acquisition filings, 2025 |
| Dream11 registered users | 300 million+ | Dream11 / Wikipedia, 2025 |
| Fantasy NFL players who are male | 87% | YouGov, 2025 |
| Players aged 25 to 44 | 58% | YouGov, 2025 |
| Fantasy players with a college degree | 84% | FSGA, 2023 |
| Next-gen median annual spend (ages 13 to 20) | 100 USD | FSGA / Angus Reid Group, 2025 |
| Next-gen who plan paid contests when eligible | 90% | FSGA / Angus Reid Group, 2025 |
| Problem-gambling rate among fantasy sports bettors | 24% | NCPG, NGAGE 3.0, 2024 |
Methodology and Sources
Data was gathered by aggregating original industry surveys, company and acquisition filings, app-analytics reports, and market-research estimates published primarily in 2025 and 2026, cross-referencing market-size figures across multiple firms where they diverge.
- Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association (FSGA) - Industry Research and 2025 Angus Reid Group participation and next-generation surveys
- Angus Reid Group - DFS and Sports Betting Among Young Players, 2025
- ESPN Press Room - ESPN Fantasy Football participation release, 2025
- YouGov - Fantasy Sports in the US: Who Is Playing, 2025
- Sensor Tower - 2025 NFL Season App Ecosystem: Installs, Revenue and Engagement
- Grand View Research - Fantasy Sports Market Size and Share Report, 2025 to 2030
- Mordor Intelligence - Fantasy Sports Market Size and Analysis, 2026
- Precedence Research - Fantasy Sports Market, 2025 to 2035
- demandsage - Fantasy Sports Market Size cross-reference, 2026
- National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) - NGAGE 3.0 National Survey, 2024
- Allwyn - PrizePicks acquisition supplementary slides, 2025
- Flutter Entertainment / FanDuel - FY2025 results and DFS state availability
- Sacra / CB Insights - Underdog Fantasy funding and valuation, 2025
- Similarweb / Sleeper - Sleeper app downloads and user data, 2025
- Underdog / Lines.com - Underdog Fantasy state availability, 2026
- Legal Sports Report - DFS legal states tracker, 2026
- Dream11 (Wikipedia) - Dream11 users, India market and 2025 regulation
Data watch: The FSGA releases new participation research with the Angus Reid Group at its winter and summer conferences, so the next full update is expected in late 2026; Sensor Tower issues a fresh NFL-season app report each autumn; Grand View Research, Mordor Intelligence, and Precedence Research refresh their market models annually; and the NCPG’s NGAGE survey runs on a multi-year cycle, with a fourth wave anticipated after 2024’s NGAGE 3.0.
Last updated: July 17, 2026.
We review and update this page quarterly as new data is published.